The Ironbound - Down Neck to the old-timers - is also one of the state's most parking-challenged areas, so on the Munchmobile's Ironbound excursion we parked the van on Pacific Street and spent the rest of the day walking from stop to stop.

The Munchers may not have gotten quality time in the Big Dog, but they sure got exercise, which we desperately needed.

With the World Cup underway, it was prime time to sample the Ironbound's Spanish, Portuguese and Brazilian restaurants - and an Italian one, too.

The Munchmobile is all about discovering little, lesser-known places, so we stayed away from Iberia, Fornos, Casa Vasca, Hamburgao, Hero King and the like - we've visited them in the past, and everyone knows about them anyway.

We hit a bar where kids were kicking a soccer ball around the room; an organic burger joint, and a bakery that's been around a while yet remains a relative secret outside the Portuguese community.

"A journey around the world without leaving Newark,'' Muncher Bob Blake said. "Good, hearty food prepared by hardworking people who made customers feel like family members.''

It was a gorgeous day, under blue skies. And boy did we eat.

SUISSA BAKERY

Dreams for breakfast? At Suissa, a tiny spot at the corner of Pacific and Garden, that's exactly what you can get.

"Sonho'' - Portuguese for "dream'' - is a deep-fried, sugar-topped doughnut that is impossibly light and thoroughly addictive.

"Fantastic - warm, sweet, and fluffy inside,'' Alice Small said.

"I could eat a dozen,'' Blake said.

Good thing he didn't, because we all know the two most important words on the Munchmobile are "pace yourself.''

It was difficult resisting the Portuguese croissants, the custard cups and the deer - not bear - claws. The latter are called pata de veado, which are custard-filled pastries. None of the Munchers liked the croissants, but I liked them, a lot.

Several also favored the empanadas (the beef ones include parsley, carrots, garlic and white wine) over the pastries.

The cheese balls are good; also check out the ones at Cafe do Pao de Queijo, on Ferry Street.

DELICIAS DE MINAS

The yellow, green and blue ribbons fluttering from the ceiling are a giveaway this is a Brazilian restaurant, but miniature flags for other World Cup countries can be found on the tables at Delicias de Minas, named after the Brazilian state Minas Gerais.

"Minas has the best food in Brazil,'' said co-owner Wendel Correa. "There's no sea, only farms. We have the best coffee in the world, and the best cheese.''

It was lunch time, so we ordered a half dozen sandwiches. The thick, sesame-seed-topped bread is top-notch; the sandwiches varied in quality. The skirt steak was the group favorite; Nardone described it as "beautifully seasoned.''

Another winner: the Brazilian sausage sandwich.

Not as successful: the brisket ("dry,'' according to Nicole Charlton); the chicken and top sirloin.

The sausage-accented rice, and corn, made for savory side dishes. The much-ballyhooed oxtails were a letdown - not tender, not distinctively-flavored.

How important is the World Cup to host nation Brazil?

"If Brazil is the winner, the president (Dilma Rousseff) stays four more years,'' Correa said, smiling. "If they lose, she's out.''

CAFFE ESPRESSO ITALIA

Emilia's, on Jefferson Street, is long-gone; it was a help-yourself-to-the-bread-and-shout-out-your-order kind of place.

Caffe Espresso Italia, open 14 years on Adams Street, is similarly old-school Italian.

"I didn't perfect it yet; I'm still playing around with it,'' Nasto said.

BURGER BOUND

"The grass our cows eat is always greener,'' reads a sign at this casually stylish organic burger joint, open a year and a half in the space once occupied by MiSaVi. The owners are Francisco Rosa and Rodrigo DaSilva - from Portugal and Brazil, respectively.

"Never expected to come across a hipster organic burger/cocktail bar in the Ironbound,'' Malik said.

Tip: the bartender said they ordinarily cook the burgers "well done,'' so if you want yours otherwise, say so.

ALVARO'S PASTRY SHOP

A selection of treats from Alvaro's. Peter Genovese/The Star-Ledger

This Portuguese pastry shop does a healthy business in wedding and birthday cakes; check out the soccer-ball-decorated "bikini cake'' on their Facebook page.

We ordered custard and apple tarts, and flan, but they didn't match the sweet treats at Suissa. Malik rated the apple tart the "best of the bunch,'' while Nardone was the biggest fan of the flan.

"A tiny tower of silky custard drizzled with caramel.''

Small found the beef in the meat pastry "tasty'' but "salty.''

They were out of custard cups when we stopped, so I made a return visit. The cups, a dollar each, are smooth and creamy, with terrifically flaky crust.

CLUB ESPANA

The bar at Club Espana. Peter Genovese/The Star-Ledger

Boys kicking a soccer ball around the bar; a soccer game on TV, and don't forget the bagpipe lessons on Fridays.

It can only be Club Espana, a member-supported social club, founded in 1964, that is open to the public.

Bagpipes?

"The members are from Northern Spain; it's very Celtic,'' explained Alejandro Alvarez.

Upstairs are classrooms and a ballroom. Downstairs, in the bar? Kids playing, and guys cheering or moaning, depending on who's winning the soccer game. On tap or in bottles are Estrella Damm and Estrella Galicia, apart from the usual American brew suspects.

The food?

"Muy bueno!'' Malik said.

She singled out the "spicy and juicy'' chorizo frito (sliced fried chorizo); and the "sweet and fresh" shrimp in the camarones al ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce).

Everyone seemed to love the paprika-topped pulpo or octopus - except me. It's boiled, and it seemed soft and mushy.

The Tabla Iberica was one of the day's best dishes. Peter Genovese/The Star-Ledger

The homemade sangria had several Munchers oh so happy. "Outstanding, very fruity, not too sweet, not too dry,'' Nardone noted.

My opinion of the sangria? One of these days I'm going to get a driver so I can sample what I've been missing out on all these years.

Malik took home "an oily bag of leftovers,'' but had to Febreze her car trunk the next day.
She shared some of the food with her mom on the latter's birthday, and finished the rest later at home - "with a nice Spanish wine.''

TOP DOG

This was close. We loved the skirt steak sandwich at Delicias de Minas, the old-school atmosphere at Caffe Espresso Italia, the ices and ice cream at Nastos, the mushroom burger at Burger Bound, the custard cups at Alvaro's and that ham-and-cheese plate at Club Espana. But one place literally delivered the "dream.'' Give Top Dog honors this week to Suissa Bakery.

TELL US WHERE TO GO

Tomorrow, the Big Dog is leaving the country, or at least it will seem that way. We're searching for the state's best Middle Eastern food. Where can we find it? Call the Munchmobile Hotline at (973) 392-1765 or e-mail pgenovese@starledger.com.

T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY

Each week, we give out a special limited-edition Munchmobile t-shirt to the first two people who answer our trivia question correctly.

Last week's question: Where was this year's Munchmobile kickoff held? The answer: Rutt's Hut, Clifton. The winners: Kathy Mackie and Nancy O'Connor.